Thursday, March 29, 2012

Top 10: World's Biggest Stadiums

America is known for its huge sporting venues, but only 4 make it into the worlds top ten biggest stadiums. Can you guess where the others are?

#10: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia100,000There are numerous sports stadiums around the world that hold 100,000, but we have decided to highlight Melbourne Cricket Ground, due to its great history. The oldest of the stadiums on our list, it was built in 1853 with the first game of cricket played on 30 September 1854. Until the 1970s, up to 130,000 people could be crammed into the stadium, however renovations and safety regulations have since restricted the capacity to its current 100,000.

#9: National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Malaysia

100,200Built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, construction work began in 1992 and was completed 3 months ahead of schedule. The stadium is now the home of the Malaysian soccer team and hosts a variety of sporting and non-sporting events.

#8: Neyland Stadium, USA

102,037

The Neyland Stadium serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team in Knoxville, Tennessee. While its current capacity stands at just over 102,000, the stadium did in fact hold 104,079 until a 2006 renovation when executive seating was installed.

#7: Ohio Stadium, USA

102,329

Ohio Stadium is the home of the Buckeyes Football team at Ohio State University. Originally built in 1922 and having undergone numerous renovations over the years, the stadium officially holds 102,329. Since then, attendances regularly reach over 100,000 at Buckeye games.

#6: Jornalista Mario Filho, Brazil

103,045

More commonly known as the "Estadio do Maracana", this soccer stadium resides in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is difficult to pinpoint the stadium's exact capacity; it seats about 90,000, but also had an official attendance of 199,500 for the 1950 World Cup Final. Recent figures suggest they work to a safe capacity of 103,045.

#5: Beaver Stadium, USA

107,282

Home of the Penn State football team, this stadium is smaller than Michigan by just 219 seats! Assembled in its current location in 1960 with a capacity of just 46,284, Beaver Stadium went through numerous expansions with its most recent bringing its current capacity to 107,282.

#4: Michigan Stadium, USA

107,501

Nicknamed "The Big House", this is the football stadium of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Built in 1927, it had an original capacity of 72,000, which has gradually increased over the years. Amazingly, it has not had a sub-100,000 attendance since 1975.

#3: Estadio Azteca, Mexico

114,465

The Azteca Stadium located in Mexico City comes in third with an official capacity of 114,465 people. Used mostly for soccer games, it is the home of the Mexico national team and Mexican club team America. It is the only stadium ever to host two World Cup final matches, in 1970 and 1986.

#2: Salt Lake Stadium, India

120,000

Salt Lake Stadium is located in Salt Lake City, a district of Kolkata in India. Built in 1984, the stadium boasts a capacity of 120,000 over a 3-tier construction and is mainly used for soccer and athletics events.

#1: Rungnado May Day Stadium, North Korea

150,000

The monumental Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea was built in 1989 and seats a staggering 150,000 people. Resembling a blossom flower, it has 16 arches arranged in a ring. In 1995, an incredible 190,000 people crammed in for a professional wrestling event.